


Allergy

by astarlightnight



Category: NU'EST
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:54:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24113119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astarlightnight/pseuds/astarlightnight
Summary: Minhyun saw this one cute guy walking his two dogs in the park one time, and he fell in love at first sight. All he wants to do is approach him and maybe they can have, you know, a nice little chat (he has not planned anything yet).He just has one problem.
Relationships: Hwang Minhyun & Aaron Kwak | Aron, Hwang Minhyun/Aaron Kwak | Aron
Comments: 16
Kudos: 28





	1. Hwang Minhyun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hwang Minhyun and the cute guy

_He's here. That cute guy with his dogs._

Minhyun hides his face with his book by reflex, occasionally lowering it to take a peek at his object of interest. When the cute guy passes by him, he closes the book again, slipping his thumb in between the pages as a bookmark. He sighs and looks at the figure walking toward the other end of the park with his two Shiba dogs. 

It has almost been one month of Minhyun doing this, sitting at the park and longing at this one stranger whose name he does not even know. He knows the name of his dogs though, Noah and Kkootsooni. The owner always call them that, followed with praise and smile. Minhyun knows he is a big fool for spending his time just looking at the guy and not attempting any approach. Not like just by staring at him will lead the guy into noticing him and his obvious interest.

_What am I even doing?_

Minhyun saw this guy only once when he was strolling in the park after work. It was only for a moment, but Minhyun's heart was definitely captured. It was probably his eyes or his smile or his gentle voice when calling for his pet dogs. 'Cute' was what Minhyun initially thought, but he also knew it was not a big matter. He found any passing men smaller than him cute anyway.

That was exactly why it was a surprise to him when his feet brought him to the park again the next day, not able to get that smile out of his mind. After trying his luck, he did find him again. And he fell for his eyes again. That has repeated again and again for a month now. Each time he sees this guy running excitedly with his dogs, Minhyun falls deeper.

After visiting the park for quite sometimes, Minhyun notices that the cute guy always walks his dogs at around 5 p.m. every day. Minhyun knows he gets the chance to see him every day, and he want to. But even he finds his own idea to be creepy. Eventually, he decides to limit his visit to the park to several days a week.

As a matter of fact, it is something unimaginable for Minhyun to chase after a stranger that does not even know of his existence. He is Hwang Minhyun after all. The man that has lines of people waiting to get even a glance from. The one that receives the most presents and confessions out of all his colleagues on Valentine's Day. The Hwang Minhyun whose smile is enough to make people breathless.

Then why? Why is he so pathetic now?

“Why don’t you just approach him?” Minki, his colleague, once asked, tired of Minhyun’s constant ranting about this one stranger that constantly appears in his mind.

_Easy for you to say, Minki._

Of course Minhyun wants to approach him, introduce himself and get to know each other.

But there is one problem. Minhyun is allergic to dog. It is not very severe, but still enough to trigger a bad memory from his high school days.

Minhyun didn’t think much that time. His cousins brought their pet dog when visiting his house, and he only gave it a hug after finding its fluffy white fur adorable. He never got an extreme reaction, so his allergy was on the back of his mind. The next day, Minhyun went to school with runny nose and itches all over his neck. There was the option to skip class, but he had an important presentation that he had worked hard for. He really didn’t want to miss it.

Undoubtedly, he ended up a disaster in front of the class, cue some giggling or eye roll every time he sneezed or scratched his intolerable neck into red blotches. The teacher was quick to permit him to go home that day, but the shame stays with him until today.

Since then, he is wary in making any contacts with dog, which is precisely the problem now.

How will he approach the cute guy when he is always surrounded by his dogs?  
How will he start a natural conversation with a dog owner that does not involve his dogs?  
How will he keep the conversation while constantly trying to avoid any contact with his dogs? 

Minhyun does not hate dogs at all. In fact, he finds them very adorable, especially the cute guy’s. He is just afraid, afraid of making a mistake in front of the cute guy. His fear of making contact with dog has been instilled deep into him, and it creates a weird defense mechanism. One time, he prepared himself into a fighting pose unconsciously when a small Corgi passed by him, not even bothering to stop by to look at him. That still remains in his recent memory, giving him embarrassment every time it comes up again randomly.

_Dammit!_

Deep in his thought, he does not realize of an excited Shiba running towards him. Only when it starts sniffing, bumping its little nose to his pants, does he looks down. His eyes meeting down to the small, round pair of eyes of the dog, asking for his attention with his wagging tail.

It all happens in a split second. Spontaneously, he jumps up to the bench and screams, purely by the shock after escaping from dogs for a long time. His thought tries to process what is going on after a few second, and he looks down again to the dog, feeling familiar.

_Wait…isn’t this dog?_

His guess proves to be right when he looks up and sees the cute guy approaching him, followed by his other Shiba. His thick eyebrows are furrowed, and his lips are tighten into a straight, obvious irritation. It is as if he comes holding an invitation for war, throwing his feet into tough stomps.

He is clearly not amused at Minhyun.

_Shit!_

Minhyun jumps down from the bench in panic. At the same time, his book falls to the ground, the hardcover gives a hard thump to the ground below it. However, his mind does not have the space to think of the book right now. Not even for the surrounding crowd that finds him funny for overreacting over a dog. It is just filled with jumbles and combinations of excuses to be spouted, along with an ongoing cursing to himself.

Arriving in front of him, the cute guy directly bends down to pick up his dog and Minhyun’s book.

“Sorry, Noah doesn’t mean any harm,” the cute guy says, clearly being unapologetic, shoving the book quite roughly to Minhyun.

“No… I didn’t mean to…” Minhyun stumbled on his words, not finding the right word to say. “Sorry” is the only small mumble he can muster up.

“It’s alright,” he says while forcing a stiff smile and gives the book another push to Minhyun, which is accepted with trembling hands and weak grip. Without sparing him another look, he turns back and walks away, one hand holding Noah up to a close hug and the other leading Kkootsooni to follow along. Soon, he is out of Minhyun’s sight.

_It’s the end…even before it starts._


	2. Kwak Aron

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kwak Aron and the tall guy

_He’s not here. That tall guy who is always reading._

Well, he is not always reading though. Aron always notices it, the way the tall guy sneaks a look at his direction from behind his book. It is too obvious to not notice. 

One time, Aron purposely met his eyes. They looked at each other for several seconds before the other hid behind his book, though failing to cover his reddening ears. Aron chuckles whenever he remembers the surprise that surfaced on the tall guy’s face in that moment. Despite his cool appearance, he can actually make such cute expression. 

Aron is missing him more than he wants to admit, that stranger who is quite the eye candy. 

But he is not here today. Again. 

That tall guy never really has an exact schedule in his park visit, unlike Aron who comes almost every day to have his daily walk with Noah and Kkotsooni. It is a shame that Aron cannot see him every day, but it also gives him the thrill of the hit or miss. Every time he enters the park, his eyes would search for that certain stranger on all the benches he passes. When he could not find him after a full one round of walking, he would be slightly disappointed. But if he could, he would feel a sense of fulfilment. Just a simple joy to look forward to in his daily life. 

But that thrill of hit is nowhere to be found anymore. There has only been a row of disappointing misses for two weeks now. 

It is probably Aron who ruins it for himself. 

That day accident is still freshly imprinted on his mind, the time he was being an absolute petty jerk. The tall guy did really look apologetic, but Aron still decided to shot him down with unforgiving glare. 

In his defense, Aron was not in his best mood. His work was not going very well, and his mind was completely filled with the rejected proposal he needed to redo. Preoccupied by such thought, his hand loosened up on Noah’s leash. The rest was, in short, just Aron venting out his anger in a _subtle_ way and scaring the tall guy away. 

_That’s a bad excuse, actually._

However, thinking back, he finds the other’s reaction too odd. Aron tried to control his emotion when confronting the tall guy, forming his words as nicely as possible, flashing smile even though he knew it looked awkward. Even though the tall guy was culpable for shocking Noah, he did not need to be in such a panic. The guy could not even talk properly as his face paled with fright. 

_Did I look too scary? Was I too harsh? Is he faint-hearted?_

Now Aron feels the guilt hangs on his heart as he tries to reason with himself. 

An idea suddenly flashes through his mind, sounding extremely reasonable for a second, before Aron shuts it off the other second. 

_Maybe he thinks I hate him?_

That would explain all the constant staring that does not even take a second to blink. 

_Maybe…he is interested in me? That’s why he was in such panic that I got mad…_

Aron’s rationality (deniability) strikes him before he gets more immersed in that idea. 

_Ha ha…hilarious._

He places his palm on his cheek, cooling the heat as he gets flustered by his own thought. 

That theory is a persistent one. It keeps on coming back to his mind even after he tries to deny it repeatedly, creating an illusion of truth. 

The idea of that tall guy taking an interest in him now sounds so real, and Aron wants it to be. 

_Don’t--_

A hard tug pulls him out from his mental one-person debate to the reality of walking with his dogs mindlessly. It’s by Kkotsooni, pulling on her leash encircling her neck to wake Aron. Her little feet tap on the ground repeatedly as if asking permission to run away. 

Aron is puzzled at her unusual behavior. She is normally calm, as compared to Noah-

That is the moment Aron notices the disappearance of the younger Shiba. 

“Noah! Where is he?” Aron squats down in agitation, meeting Kkootsoni on her eye level. 

Obviously Kkotsooni does not answer him, her stare only judges Aron who finally catches up with what is happening. A while ago, her owner stopped on his track, gazing at the row of empty benches, slapping lightly on his cheeks repeatedly. Kkotsooni did not mind waiting for her owner, but clearly the impatient Noah did. His leash easily slipped out from his owner’s hand when he tried to flee from Aron who was still too absorbed with his own little idea, and off he went. 

_This is the second time now…_

Looking to his right and left, he could see several other dogs strolling with their owner, but none of them is Noah. 

_Just how long have I been daydreaming?_

For the time being, he decides to gather Kkotsooni to his arm and searches for Noah as best as he can. While trying to keep himself calm, he darts his eyes to every direction, searching for that playful Shiba that forgets his owner as he gets the taste of freedom. He really found the perfect opportunity when Aron was not focusing. 

Aron scampers everywhere, asking any people he passes on the whereabouts of a Shiba similar to that on his embrace. Many shake their head uncaringly and dismiss it immediately. When he finds people who point to directions with a hesitant ‘maybe’, he runs just to find another dog or an empty spot, returning him back to the starting point. 

After a while, out of breath from all the running, Aron sits on the nearest bench he can find. He can feel his body heats up as droplets of sweat drip all over, wetting his hair and shirt. His appearance is a complete mess, and the rapid panting for air is not helping it either. 

However, despite the gaze of passersby or the fatigue finally hitting his sore leg, Aron could only worry about Noah. 

_Where is he? What if he is lost? What if he has gone out of the park? What if he walks to the road? What if he is hit by car? What if-_

Just the mere thought of it terrifies Aron, not daring to continue the words, but the idea continues to hover on his mind. He shuts his eyes tight to darken his view, trying to erase the image that flashes by his mind. 

Bringing Kkotsooni closer to his hug, he seeks for comfort on her soft fur with familiar sunshine scent. But to no avail, he could not calm down even while petting the whimpering dog, finding himself more breathless. He knows that he needs to compose himself back to find Noah, but he cannot even feel his legs anymore after all that running. 

He can only feel hopeless. 

“Are you alright?” 

Aron opens his eyes to see a pair of sneaker under his sight, trailing them up from the long legs to a certainly familiar face. The tall guy. 

“Are you feeling unwell? Do you need help?” 

The tall guy that suddenly appears out of nowhere keeps asking questions to Aron, his face is painted with clear worries. 

“Erm…where is your other dog?” 

“I…I can’t find him.” He mouths the words out roughly, almost soundless because of the lack of breath.

“Wait! What do you mean?” The tall guy now crouches down in front of Aron, levelling his eyes with the sitting Aron’s. 

“I-I was not paying attention for a moment, and suddenly he was gone…” When Aron meets the tall guy’s gaze, he can feel how gentle it is, showing a genuine concern and sympathy. 

Aron breaks down under it. 

“He is gone because of my fault. Because I was not paying attention enough. This also happened that time with you. I should have learnt from that.” For a guy gasping for air just a moment ago, he rambles it all under one breath, his mouth going out of control. “I am no good. I cannot even take care of Noah well. If something happens to him, it is all my fault-” 

“Hey! Hey!” The tall guy cuts him off with a soft whisper, his eyes never leaving Aron’s. “It will be alright. I will help you find your dog, okay?” 

Aron nods shakily, his mind just goes blank at the tall guy’s comforting words. 

“I will search at the left side of the park. You can go to the right side.” The tall guy plans out as he stands up. 

“B-But I have searched the entire park, and I could not find him. What if he has gone outside, and…” Aron’s words trail off into silence, not able to sound his fear. 

The tall guy gulps and looks around the park, placing his hand under his chin. “Let’s try one more time. Since the park is very spacious, you may have missed out some part, especially as you are in panic. If in the end we could not find him, let’s try outside the park. But don’t think of that now, okay?” 

The change in the tall guy’s tone snaps Aron from his continuous panic, replying with a small nod. 

The tall guy gives him a last affirming look before he dashes to the left side of the park as how he has planned before, leaving Aron still dazed on his seat. When he stands up, his leg is jelly, trembling at the most little step, terribly exhausted from all the running before. But Aron also cannot just sit down doing nothing after a stranger has offered him help. 

_Noah… Please be safe…_

  
  
  


Several more turning and checking, though desperate as he is, Aron still could not find Noah on sight. Each turns with no result weights his heart more and more, the dark thought once again seeping to the back of his mind. 

‘I know it! He is not here anymore!’ Aron runs his eyes to the park gate, the image of Noah running out through it seems so real now. His feet proceed to direct Aron to the gate unconsciously, ready to march out of the park. ‘I should have just gone out. Why am I listening to a stranger?’ 

“Hey!” 

A loud shout suddenly put his body to a sudden halt, stopping him on his track. Aron turns back to the voice, uncertain but feeling like it is calling for him. He is met by the sight of the tall guy running towards him, in his arms is the golden Shiba he has been searching all this time, Noah. 

Meeting the innocent eyes of the dog with its wagging tail over the tall guy’s arm, Aron reflexively sprints to them, his thoughts all instantly cleared.

“Noah!” Hastily collecting Noah to a tight hug, Aron feels himself tearing up while snuggling on the dog’s nape. 

“He was inside the bushes there. I think he got stuck.” The tall guy feels like he needs to give those details even though he knows Aron is too overwhelmed to consume it. “Just found it strange that the bushes moved so much.” 

“I’m glad. I’m so glad.” A small smuggled murmur keeps repeating itself under the golden fur before Aron raises his head in a sudden swift. He stares at the tall guy who can only offers a surprised look and swings himself in a quick big bow. “Thank you! Thank you so much! I would not know what to do without your help!” 

The tall guy gives a relieved smile, his eyes soften at meeting Aron’s almost watery eyes. “It’s noth—” 

Aron raises his eyebrow in confusion as the tall guy stops mid-sentence, his face grimaces with a sudden sting, before he gives the loudest sneeze to the side. “ACHOOOO!!” 

Once, twice, thrice. The tall guy prepares for the fourth time, but it just comes out as nothing. When he returns back to face Aron’s puzzled eyes, he can only give out an awkward chuckle. 

“I can explain…”


End file.
